mother's day weekend

i have lots to share from the last week - it's been busy and fun-filled all around. we even got a couple beautiful 70 degree days mid week. on wednesday azalea had a scheduled early release day at school. i had told her we could go get ice cream after we picked her up, so off we went to walter's in our neighborhood. it was insaaaane there. every one had the same idea! after we filled our bellies, we drove over to golden gardens beach, which was also a madhouse. not surprising, i guess. we had to park in the overflow lot and walk a little ways to the beach. i parked myself on a towel and the kids had a blast playing in the sand and wading in the water for over an hour.

 i'm looking forward to many more sunny afternoons there in the coming months. it's one of my favorite things about where we live. to make things even better, i got home and checked my email to find that my giveBIG seattle donation to women's business incubator was randomly chosen for a "dollars for change" award and we are being given an additional $2500 from the foundation. this is huge for our little nonprofit. so exciting!

skipping ahead to friday, azalea had a mother's day "tea" in her classroom at the end of the day. ashford and i attended and it was so sweet. it was my first classroom mother's day event. they had lemonade and iced tea and cookies and fruit. the kindergartners served us our food and then performed a song for us. such a treat :) 





she was so proud of the things she made for me and filled out about me. it's so cool to see what your kids write about you. it reminds me that even though i'm far from a perfect mom, my kids love me and know i am there for them always. it's nice to be reminded of that when the going gets rough. 

satuday morning we went to the maritime festival in our neighborhood. we missed it last year, so we really wanted to check it out. the coolest part was they were offering free 60 minute cruises on the argosy boats. it was a deal we couldn't pass up. we ran into my friend heather's husband and her son on the boat, so that was fun. it was so cool see all these areas that we've really only seen from land, from the water. 

saturday afternoon i met up with my group of mama friends for our second annual "day before mother's day pampering". teresa booked manicures and pedicures for us at a nail salon in queen anne. i've never gotten both done in one day, so it was pretty exciting. they even served us wine. 

after we were finished, we walked to a mediterranean/italian restaurant called grappa for happy hour. we had wine and tons of appetizers. everything was so good. it was so nice to catch up with all of them, as it had been 2 months since we were all together. i'm so thankful for their friendships. there is never drama, just fun and moral support. 

sunday was official mother's day! thatcher let me sleep in and i did. until 8:30! haha. normally i can't fall asleep after the kids get up, but i slept really hard until they came in with the cards they made. they were so proud and excited to wish me a happy mother's day. thatcher made a coffee cake, which was delicious. i had 2 big pieces, just to be sure ;) 

they asked what i wanted to do and i said the ballard farmer's market. it's every sunday year round in our neighborhood, but we rarely go because the kids don't find it especially enjoyable. but it was my special day and i love it, so i chose it :) it was very busy there and we actually ran into 3 different groups of people we know. so fun! we got some fruit and veggies and enjoyed the live music and people watching.

the best smiles they would give - stinkers! 

 we decided to go to chipotle for lunch. it's funny how that has become our "go to" family place since moving to seattle. we used to go pretty regularly in minneapolis, but thatcher has introduced more food sensitivities since then and it's a great place for that. and the kids love it. so chipotle junkies we now are! plus i didn't want to deal with crowds at a more traditional mother's day type restaurant. after lunch, we came home and hung out for the rest of the day (much to the kid's dismay - ha!). they gave me 2 new bath towels and a pyrex baking dish. dinner was super low maintenance leftovers/mac n cheese. thatcher made a chocolate souffle too. calories don't count on mother's day right? right! 

now we're gearing up for another fun week. my mom arrives on wednesday!